The name Tower Hamlets was used in the 16th Century to refer to the hamlets (small settlements) east of the Tower of London. The men of these hamlets defended the Tower in times of crisis.

The area was larger than the London Borough of Tower Hamlets today – the modern borough replaced the Metropolitan Boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney Green in 1965. Before then the area was known as the Parish of Stepney.